Storage track

ABSTRACT

A storage track having channel for holding a pegboard on a wall surface. The storage track has upper and lower channels for receiving the edges of adjacent pegboard panels. Grooves are also provided to receive the ends of brackets such as those used to support shelves.

FIELD OF INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a storage track adapted to besecured to a wall and support pegboard panels in spaced relation to thewall. The storage track is comprised of upper and lower longitudinalchannels to receive edges of pegboard panels, a central horizontallyextending “L” shaped groove to receive hooks and brackets, the storagetrack comprising upper and lower, longitudinal chamfered grooves toreceive fastening means for installation of the storage track.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

[0002] Retail stores utilize display wall products for display andmerchandising. This product (herein referred to as “slotted wall” (seeCA 2,097,631) is installed onto the surface of walls in stores.Manufactured from a number of materials the grooves are spaced outvertically from each other typically at distances of 3, 4, 6 inches.

[0003] Many devices are designed and made available for this slottedgroove such as cantilevered metal or plastic shelf brackets, displayhooks, wire brackets, acrylic shelves, and bins and other likeaccessories. The accessories are inserted into the grooves of theslotted wall, then articles are placed on a flat wooden shelf beingsupported by shelf brackets that sit in the groove of the slotted wallpanel.

[0004] Display wall panels of the general kind involved in thisinvention are well known. They are generally ¾ inch thick and are formedwith horizontally extending modified “T” shaped slots opened at thefront of the panel. These slots are constructed to permit installationof cantilever brackets at substantially any location along the length ofthe slots. The brackets are shaped to support and display various typesof articles. Some examples are: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,434,900; 4,607,753;4,615,448; 4,944,416 and 5,109,993. In some cases, metal inserts areinstalled within the slots to increase the strength so that heavierloads can be supported on the brackets. In other instances, the slotsare unlined, and the strength of the panel material itself and the shapeand size of the brackets determine the load supporting capacity of thebracket.

[0005] Another popular wall product used in retail stores for productdisplay and/or merchandising is the perforated panel. This panel,otherwise known as pegboard, is usually produced from wood or plasticand consists of small holes spaced at regular intervals along its widthand length producing a grid effect. The holes accept a standard varietyof accessories such as display/storage hooks, bins, trays, etc.specially designed to fit into the holes. Like the slotted wall panelpreviously mentioned, store products can be hung directly onto theaccessories for display, merchandising or storage purposes.

[0006] Load bearing capabilities of the pegboard panels are much lowerthan that of the slotted wall panel. Pegboard panels are therefore onlyuseful for lightweight items. Because of the pegboard's rather thin wallcomposition it requires furring strips or spacers to be installedbetween the pegboard panel and the finished wall. To ensure that thehooks will engage the pegboard, the furring or spacer devices preventthe pegboard from touching the finished wall and create an essentialspace between the wall and the pegboard. The space ensures that thedisplay accessories can enter into the holes or slots of the pegboardwithout hitting the finished wall behind the pegboard. If the pegboardpanel is fastened to a wall without spacer or furring devices, the panelwill not function.

[0007] Slotted wall panels or pegboard panels are commonly sold in 4feet wide by 8 feet long sheets. The slotted wall panels are ¾ inchthick and the pegboard panels' range in thickness from ⅛-¼ inch thick.Slotted wall panels are very heavy and the average person has muchtrouble installing them. The panels are also difficult to transportbecause of their large size and heavy weight. Installing a slotted wallpanel involves driving screws of sufficient length through the center ofthe horizontal grooves and into structural supports of the wall. Becauseof the slotted wall's heavy thickness and dense material composition,relatively heavy items can be displayed or merchandised on theaccessories designed for the slotted wall panel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] The invention, hereinafter referred to as “storage track”, is alightweight plastic part designed for finished or unfinished wallsurfaces found in many areas of residential dwellings or retail stores.The purpose of the invention for residential dwellings is for theorganizing and storing of typical household items therefore creatingmore desired floor space for the occupants. The invention utilized in aretail store allows merchants to effectively and efficientlydisplay/merchandise their products for sale to consumers. The inventionsimulates the ideal functions of slotted walls (i.e. hanging strength),but is much lighter and smaller making it easier to install andtransport. The invention requires a secondary component for it tofunction properly. Pegboard panels of a ¼ inch thickness is the idealsecondary component. Together, the storage track and the ¼ inch thickpegboard achieve the desired effects that typical slotted wall panelsproduce. Although pegboard can be installed on it's own with commonhardware, by incorporating it with the invention the mounting hardwarethat is normally required for pegboard is completely eliminated.

[0009] The present invention (referred to as “storage track” is alightweight device to be used on finished or unfinished wall surfaces.The storage track simulates the ideal functions of slotted walls (i.e.hanging strength), but is much lighter and smaller making it easier toinstall and transport. Pegboard panels of a ¼ inch thickness is theideal secondary component. In combination, the storage track and thepegboard achieve the desired effects that typical slotted wall panelsproduce. Although pegboard can be installed on its own with commonhardware, by incorporating it with the storage track the mountinghardware that is normally required for pegboard is completelyeliminated.

[0010] Accordingly, it is the intention of the present invention toprovide a storage track adapted to be secured to a wall and supportpegboard panels in spaced relation to the wall, the storage trackcomprising upper and lower longitudinal channels to receive edges ofpegboard panels, a central horizontally extending “L” shaped groove toreceive hooks and brackets, the storage track comprising upper andlower, longitudinal chamfered grooves to receive fastening means forinstallation of the storage track.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The present invention will now be described with reference to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

[0012]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the storage track;

[0013]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the storage track and supportingpeg board panels; and

[0014]FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the storage track and peg boardpanels including brackets and hooks.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The invention, storage track 1, is an extruded profile shown inFIGS. 1 and 2 is manufactured of Poly Vinyl Chloride but it can also beextruded in other plastic materials as well as made of aluminum andfiberglass. A ¼ inch thick panel 7 is required to work in conjunctionwith the storage track. The ideal panel is a ¼ inch thick pegboard panel7, but can also be any other ¼ inch thick material. The track profile isextruded with a horizontal “L” groove 2 along its length similar to thegroove found in slotted wall panels. The shape of the groove acceptsmost industry standard display accessories 10 that are made for both theslotted panels and the pegboard panels. Examples of some of the manyaccessories are display hooks, shelf brackets 10, wire bins 15, acrylicshelves 12, etc. Considerable load bearing strength is achieved when thepanel and the track 1 are combined. This is because the forces from theaccessories 18 are transferred down to the combined thickness of thepegboard panel and the storage track. The storage track has two channels3, 4, that run horizontally along its length to receive ¼ inch thickpanels 7, 13. The upper channel 3 mates with a bottom edge 16 of a ¼inch panel. The lower channel 4 mates with a top edge 17 of a ¼ inchpanel. The main advantage of combining the storage track 1 with thepegboard panel is that the groove 2 in the track 1 can hold heavieritems such as wooden shelves 12 while the versatile pegboard 7 caneffectively hold the lighter items 11, 15. Another benefit of using thepegboard panel 7 with the storage track is that no spacers or furringdevices are required because the storage track performs the function ofthese spacing devices by keeping the pegboard the correct distance awayfrom a finished wall. The track 1 includes hollow tubular elements 30,32, 34 to provide the necessary spacing between the finished wall andthe peg board panel 7. The pegboard panels 7 and 13 float between thetwo horizontal channels 3 and 4 of the track 1, eliminating the need forany mounting hardware associated with pegboard installation.

[0016] Installing the storage track 1 requires driving self-tapping flatheaded countersunk screws 21 of sufficient length to extend through thestorage track 1 and into the structural wall supports. Two chamferedgrooves 5 run along the horizontal length of the storage track profile.These grooves 5 have a small visible score line 6 located in the center,also run along the horizontal length and act as a handy screw guide andcenter locator for the person installing. The chamfered grooves 5 allowthe proper seating of a typical flat-headed countersunk screw 21,therefore eliminating the need for countersinking the storage track 1.This is an important feature of the track 1 because if the heads of thescrews are not seated flush, entry of a ¼ inch thick panel may bedifficult or not possible.

[0017] Storage track 1 can be installed in two methods. The first andthe easiest method is to fasten the storage track to either a finishedor bare studded wall starting at a desired location. The installationmust be performed from the bottom and working upwards. The next stepinvolves inserting the bottom edge of a ¼ inch panel 16 into the upperchannel 3 of the storage track 1. The lower channel 4 of another storagetrack is then placed over top of the upper edge 17 of the same ¼ inchpanel. The second storage track is then fastened in place. If desired,more ¼ inch panels 7 and storage tracks 1 can be added in the samemanner. The second method involves more planning and is accomplished byfastening all of the storage tracks 1 onto the wall first, leaving avertical space between the storage tracks that is slightly larger thanthe overall width of the ¼ inch panel being used. The ¼ inch panel 7 canthen be fitted between the storage tracks. The advantage of installingthe product this way is that the ¼ inch boards can be easily removed orreplaced if desired at a later time.

[0018] A typical example of the proposed invention in use is shown inFIG. 3, where the storage track is installed on a finished wall in ahome. Common weighty items are placed on wooden shelves 12 that arebeing supported by metal brackets 10. The metal brackets 10 are insertedinto the “L” groove of the storage track. Lighter articles are hung frommetal hooks 11 which are held in place by the pegboard panels 7 and 13.The invention offers a more efficient and improved storage, organizingand merchandising solution by building on the practical and provenfundamentals of slotted and perforated panels.

[0019] A person understanding the above-described invention may nowconceive of alternative designs, using the principles described herein.All such designs which fall within the scope of the claims appendedhereto are considered to be part of the present invention.

I claim:
 1. A storage track adapted to be secured to a wall and supportpegboard panels in spaced relation to the wall, said storage trackcomprising upper and lower longitudinal channels to receive edges ofpegboard panels, a central horizontally extending “L” shaped groove toreceive hooks and brackets, said storage track comprising upper andlower, longitudinal chamfered grooves to receive fastening means forinstallation of the storage track.
 2. A storage track as set forth inclaim 1 having upper and lower longitudinal grooves to receive thefastening means for securing said storage track to the wall.
 3. Astorage track as set out in claim 1, wherein said track is extruded, andcomprises longitudinal hollow tubular members for spacing the pegboardfrom the wall.
 4. A storage track as claimed in claim 1, comprisinghorizontally extending hollow, tubular members, said members having aplanar back face to fit flush against the wall.
 5. A storage track asset forth in claim 1, having upper and lower longitudinal channels, theupper channel to receive the bottom edge of a pegboard panel, and thelower channel to receive the top edge of a pegboard panel.